Windows Activity Booster: what it is and how to remove it
Windows Activity Booster is a dangerous rogue anti-spyware, which belongs to a huge group of viruses known as FakeVimes. If you see alerts from this program, you can be sure that your computer is dangerously infected and that you must check it with updated anti-spyware.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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Start the stepsWindows Activity Booster: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Windows Activity Booster |
| Type | Rogue antivirus |
| Symptoms | An unknown process in Task Manager |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 4 more facts
| Files and processes | hunter.exe |
|---|---|
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
| First seen | 10 December 2013 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
From our report of Dec 2013 · not reviewed since
What Windows Activity Booster is
Windows Activity Booster is a dangerous rogue anti-spyware, which belongs to a huge group of viruses known as FakeVimes.
If you see alerts from this program, you can be sure that your computer is dangerously infected and that you must check it with updated anti-spyware. Otherwise, you should be prepared for misleading security notifications, fake system scanners, system slow downs and other issues that are usually initiated by this rogue.
In most of the cases, Windows Activity Booster infects computers without being noticed because it strategically chooses poorly protected systems. That's why you should always use latest versions of antivirus and anti-spyware and make sure that your PC is totally protected.
Is Windows Activity Booster a real security program?
- File:
hunter.exe
From our report of Dec 2013 · not reviewed since
HOW CAN Windows Activity Booster INFECT MY COMPUTER?
Windows Activity Booster is spread with a help of trojans.
Once this virus gets on the system, it downloads malicious files that belong to this rogue and also drops some malicious registry entries. After that, Windows Activity Booster becomes capable of displaying fake alerts that all report about invented viruses and then offer to purchase its licensed version. For example:
Before you start believing these alerts and pay for the license, you should check your PC with an alternative security software. We can guarantee that it will show you that Windows Activity Booster's reported files are legitimate files that can be safely kept on your computer. Please, don't leave this malware on your computer because it can download more viruses on your computer.
From our report of Dec 2013 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on Windows Activity Booster
- Full system scan is highly recommended.
- Error System data security is at risk To prevent potential PC errors, run a full system scan.
- Identity theft attempt detected Hidden connection IP: xx.xxx.xxx.xxx Target: Microsoft Corporation keys Your IP: XXXXXXXXXXXX
How to remove Windows Activity Booster
Nothing it reports is real.
These steps remove it and undo a payment if you made one.
Step 1: Do not pay, and undo a payment if you made one
Windows Activity Booster reports problems to sell a licence: the "threats" or "errors" it lists are invented or harmless leftovers. If you already paid, ask your card issuer to dispute the charge and cancel the subscription both in the seller's account and through your bank.
If you called a phone number it showed and let someone connect, treat the PC as remotely accessed and remove the remote tool. Uninstalling it from Windows 11 or Windows 10 does not cancel a subscription by itself.
Full procedure with screenshots: What to do after paying a scammer
Step 2: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10, and sort the list by install date. Look at what appeared around the day the problem started and uninstall every program you do not recognise or did not choose.
Free converters, PDF and video tools, "system optimizers" and unknown browsers are the usual carriers of Windows Activity Booster. If a name is unclear, search for it before you remove it, so you do not uninstall a driver or a Windows component.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 3: Remove it from startup
Whatever Windows Activity Booster installed usually starts with Windows.
Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to Startup apps in Windows 11 or the Startup tab in Windows 10, and disable what you do not know, starting with entries that have an empty Publisher column.
Open file location on the right-click menu shows the file, which helps you decide and tells you what to delete later. Disabling is safe: if something you need stops working, switch it back on.
Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 4: Delete the folders left behind
What the uninstaller leaves behind is usually in the user folders. Open File Explorer, switch on View > Show > Hidden items (in Windows 10 View > Hidden items), and go through
%LocalAppData%,%AppData%, %ProgramData% and the two Program Files folders.Sort by Date modified and delete folders that appeared together with the problem and belong to no program you use. Folders with random names that hold
.exe,.dll, .js or .ps1 files are the strongest sign.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan and remove everything it finds. Then select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now: the PC restarts and scans before Windows loads, which finds files that hide while Windows runs.
Save your work first, because the offline scan takes about 15 minutes. Both scans are built into Windows 11 and Windows 10, and a second scanner from another vendor is a useful extra opinion.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices.
Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings.
Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact - you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use for the data restoration process.
From our report of Dec 2013 · not reviewed since
HOW TO REMOVE Windows Activity Booster?
If you see alerts from Windows Activity Booster, it means that your PC is dangerously infected.
In this case, you have to check the system w updated antispyware. Once you finish a scan, remove all malicious files that were reported by these programs. If you can't launch these programs, use these steps:
1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Networking. Just reboot your PC and, as soon as it starts booting up, start pressing F8 repeatedly. 2.
Loggin as the same user as you were in normal Windows mode 3. Now click on IE or other browser and select 'Run As' or 'Run As administrator', enter your Administrator account password (if needed).
4. Enter this link to your address bar: http://www.2-spyware.com/download/hunter.exe and download a program on your desktop. Launch it to kill the malicious processes and remove its files.
The latest parasite names used by FakeVimes:
Questions about Windows Activity Booster
Is hunter.exe safe?
It depends on where the file is and who signed it, not on the name. Open Task Manager, go to the Details tab, right-click hunter.exe and choose Open file location. A file inside Program Files or System32 with a valid digital signature from a known company is usually part of a legitimate program.
A file in AppData, Temp or ProgramData with no signature, especially one that restarts itself after you end it, is suspicious. If you cannot tie the process to anything you installed, uninstall recent unfamiliar programs and run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan.
Can I end hunter.exe in Task Manager?
Ending an unknown process is safe in the sense that Windows will warn you before you close anything critical, and a restart brings back whatever Windows needs. Ending hunter.exe will not remove it, though: if a task or startup entry launches it, it returns at the next sign-in.
Use ending the process as a test. If something important stops working, it belonged to a program you use. If nothing changes and it comes back by itself, find and disable its starter, delete the file and scan the PC.
Did Windows Activity Booster steal my information?
Not by itself, as far as reports show. Programs that display an unfamiliar process called hunter.exe in Task Manager are built to scare people into paying or calling; they rarely take data on their own.
The risk comes from what you did in response: typing card details into the program, or letting a caller connect to your PC. If you did neither, uninstalling the program is enough. If you did either, treat that information as exposed:
- block the card
- change passwords from another device
- remove any remote-access tool that was installed
Should I reset my PC because of Windows Activity Booster?
Only if the signs point to deeper access. Reset when you see an unfamiliar process called hunter.exe in Task Manager again after removal, when Windows Security cannot start or update, when remote access tools you did not install keep appearing, or when you simply cannot trust the PC any more.
Otherwise, the plan in this guide plus an offline scan is enough. If you do reset, choose Remove everything and Cloud download for a fresh copy of Windows, restore only documents and photos, and reinstall programs from their official sites. Change important passwords from the clean system afterwards.
Is Windows Activity Booster a real Windows warning?
No. Real Windows Security notifications appear in the notification area and in the Windows Security app, use Microsoft's design and never ask you to call a phone number or pay to fix anything. What people report is an unfamiliar process called hunter.exe in Task Manager, drawn by a program that copies the look of a system message.
Open Windows Security from the Start menu to see the real status of your PC. If it shows no threats while the window keeps appearing, the window itself is the problem, and the plan in this guide removes the program that shows it.
Do I need to buy antivirus after removing Windows Activity Booster?
No. Windows 11 and Windows 10 include Microsoft Defender in Windows Security, which provides real-time protection, scheduled scans, the offline scan and protection against unwanted apps at no cost. Keep it switched on and updated, and turn on Reputation-based protection under App & browser control.
If you prefer a third-party product, buy it from the vendor's own site after reading independent test results, never from a pop-up or a phone call. The lesson of Windows Activity Booster is that security offers which arrive unasked are the ones to avoid.
I let a technician connect to my PC because of Windows Activity Booster. Is it safe now?
Not until you check. While connected, the caller could install other programs, create a user account or look at saved passwords. Disconnect from the internet, uninstall the remote access program and anything else installed during the call, and run a full scan and the Microsoft Defender offline scan.
From another device, change your e-mail and banking passwords and turn on two-step verification. If the caller opened your online banking, call the bank today. A reset of Windows is the safest option if you cannot tell what was done.
What should I do if I already clicked or replied to Windows Activity Booster?
Stop all contact, do not click anything else and secure your accounts right away. If you typed a password, change it at once from a clean device, then turn on two-factor authentication.
If you gave card or bank details, call the bank on the number printed on your card and ask to block or replace it. If you installed something or allowed remote access, disconnect from the internet and follow the removal plan. Keep screenshots and the message, because they help when you report it.
Will Fortect remove Windows Activity Booster?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For Windows Activity Booster, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 7, 2026)